The Experiment
by Hiei's Vampire Kitten
Summary: A scientist with a far fetched dream has planned a dangerous experiment that has killed every subject so far. But now he says that a young teen would survive. And one of our heroes is going to be used for it... ON HOLD
1. The Problem

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh. End of story. Now leave me alone!  
  
SIDE NOTE: This is going to be a little weird... a little dark, too, I guess. This isn't exactly like my other stories. It was an idea, so I put it up, okay? Yeah... hope you find it interesting.  
  
"Dr. Whitler, sir," a young woman in a white lab coat walked up to the old man, clipboard in hand. He turned to look at her, noticing the usual signs of nervousness that had crossed her features many times before. He sighed.  
  
"Yes, Janice?"  
  
"Another subject has died, sir."  
  
"What was it this time? Nausea? Collapsed lungs?"  
  
"Heart failure. He went into shock, and then his heart stopped. We can't keep doing this, sir. No one is strong enough to withstand the pressure. We will never be able to achieve this."  
  
"Ah, don't say that, Janice. We will be able to achieve this, because I know the exact problem with what we've been doing. Tell me, Janice, how old was this subject?"  
  
"31, sir. But I don't-  
  
"And how old was the one before?"  
  
"25, but-  
  
"The one before that?"  
  
"38, but sir-  
  
"And the one before that?"  
  
"26, sir, but what does that have to do with our current problem?"  
  
"It's because they're all too old, Janice. We need someone younger..."  
  
The young woman looked aghast. "Sir, are you suggesting that we use children for this experiment?"  
  
"Of course not, Janice. Young children are just as weak as the old cronies we've been using so far. We need someone in the ranges of about 13- 17."  
  
"Young teens, sir?"  
  
"Exactly. As a young teenager, the human body is at its peak, if treated properly. We need someone like that; someone who can withstand the pressure of this experiment. Someone who can truly be able to develop this power the way we want it to. Do you understand that, Janice?"  
  
"I understand perfectly, sir, but we won't be able to find someone who will do this out of free will. Young teens aren't as willing to 'donate blood' for no apparent reason!"  
  
"And that is why they will not 'donate blood'. They, instead, will be taking a 'Govern- Assigned Physical Exam'."  
  
"Where would we pull that off?"  
  
"At a high school, of course. Just a slip to the school board, and we will have our subject in no time at all. We just have to choose the right one."  
  
"One more problem, sir. Once we find the perfect subject, how do we bring them here without anyone getting suspicious?"  
  
"You've worked on that tranquilizer, haven't you? The slow- acting one?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"And it's been tested?"  
  
"Yes. It works perfectly."  
  
"Good. Stick a little of that into them, and they're off in dreamland in about 7 hours. By that time, our subject will be on their way home, and we can have someone take him from there. It's completely flawless."  
  
"Yes, but there is one last problem."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
The young woman took a deep breath. "Will Dr. Hies be willing to do the experiment on a young teenager?"  
  
The old man's eyes flickered with malice. "She'd better. Or her family will be out of a home."  
  
"Yes, sir. Shall I research learning facilities for young teens?"  
  
"Yes. Find one with plenty of physically active students. There will be a lot of strong individuals amongst them."  
  
"Yes, sir," the young woman left, leaving the old man to look out his window again.  
  
Dr. Whitler had always dreamed of this experiment. He'd always dreamed of seeing it happen. He'd found the right person to achieve it... now all he needed was the right person to use for it.  
  
Janice returned a few minutes later with a piece of paper. Dr. Whitler inspected it carefully, and then a small smile spread across his face.  
  
"Domino High. Just the school for the job."  
  
SIDE NOTE: Well, what'd you think? Sure, it's not much now, but it'll get better. This chapter was a little boring, I know, but I'll have the characters in it next time. Please review! 


	2. Subject Found

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh, but if it upsets you that much, then here's a box of tissues. Go and be depressed about me not owing Yu- Gi- Oh.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Don't ask. Really, don't ask. Like anybody would be depressed about me not owning Yu- Gi- Oh... well, then. I thank those people who reviewed... I got more than I suspected I would. And congrats to the people who guessed right. Well, read on, all you people!  
  
"Physical exam... what next?" Tristan shook his head as he looked at the sign.  
  
"That's the government for ya, Tristan," Joey said.  
  
Yugi looked closely at the sign, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. He smiled. "Aw, come on, guys. It's not so bad. They just want to make sure we're all healthy."  
  
"Psh. Like they care." Joey shook his head. "Nah... the government don't care about anybody... they just put this stuff up so our parents don't complain. Not that mine'd care one way or another..."  
  
"Don't say that!" Téa scolded.  
  
"Y'know what?" Joey said suddenly, ignoring Téa. "Since my parents won't complain, I don't have ta take this crummy test. I'm outta here. See ya."  
  
Joey began walking off. Téa called after him, trying to stop him. Then she rounded on Yugi for not doing the same.  
  
"You learn not to try," Yugi replied cheerfully.  
  
The nurse inside the building looked out at the kids waiting for this so- called 'Physical Exam'. She saw a lot of potential in every one of those kids. She then spotted one brunette with cold blue eyes. Her eyes traced the muscles in his arms and she smiled.  
  
"What are the records on this one?" she asked the second nurse, pointing to the brunette.  
  
"That's Seto Kaiba," the woman replied. "CEO of Kaiba Corporation. He's one of the school's most gifted athletes."  
  
"The CEO of Kaiba Corp.? Hmph. He's too smart for our experiment... besides, I heard he's immune to almost anything. Our tranquilizer wouldn't work on him."  
  
"Well, keep looking. There are plenty of little fish in that sea out there."  
  
"Nice choice of words," the first nurse continued to scan the area. Then she spotted a blonde boy leaving the scene. "Hello... what's this? Marie."  
  
The second nurse turned from searching through the school's files. "What is it?"  
  
The first nurse tapped the window. "Take a look at the blonde. The one who just decided to leave."  
  
Marie squinted out the window at the blonde. "Ah... Stephanie, I think we just found our subject."  
  
"Well, look him up!"  
  
Marie shifted through the files until she found what she was looking for. "Perfect! He's stupid enough to take. Bad grade point average."  
  
"Not as athletic as Seto Kaiba I see," the first nurse commented. "But he has a higher endurance level. That's exactly what we need."  
  
"Uh- oh," Marie pointed to a section of the paper. "That's not good. This makes things harder."  
  
"What?" Stephanie leaned over to look at the paper. "Ooh. Track- runner. How're we supposed to catch him if he just left?"  
  
"I've got an idea," Marie put the papers back in the file cabinet. "You start taking in the kids... sort of make up a physical thing. I'll be right back."  
  
"Got it," Stephanie walked outside wit ha fake smile on her face. "Okay, let's get someone in here; yes, you; come along..."  
  
"Excuse me! Young man!"  
  
Joey turned around and groaned. A nurse was running up to him. He stopped, knowing he'd probably get in trouble if he made a run for it. Not that the nurse could catch him, anyway. Nobody could catch him. He was, after all, the star runner on the track team.  
  
"Maybe you're a little confused," said the nurse. "The exams are this way."  
  
"Yeah, yeah; I'm not stupid, lady," Joey brushed past her towards the crowd. "Not like I wanna go take that stupid exam..."  
  
Marie ran back into the office and shut the door. She gave the thumbs- up to her partner. "You can take him in, now." She whispered.  
  
The other nurse nodded and sent the last kid outside. Then she stuck her head out the door again, making sure to look for the blonde. She spotted him and then smiled. "Come on in, now."  
  
Joey grumbled and went inside. He sat down on the table and just glared at the two nurses.  
  
"I'll be right back, hon," said the nurse; and she closed the office door to talk to her partner.  
  
"Okay, Marie; what was the assignment?"  
  
"Dr. Whitler said to make sure that they truly have the potential."  
  
"But we already saw his records; let's just give him the tranquilizer, now."  
  
"They need to have the perfect build for it! Chest, arms, legs, neck... they all have to be according to this diagram."  
  
Stephanie huffed and snatched the diagram. "Uh- huh, uh- huh. Exposure to extreme amounts of light? Please. I don't think that kid can get anymore tan... Well, alright. I'll just take a little look- see."  
  
Joey waited impatiently for the nurse to come out so he could get this over with. And what were they whispering about in there? 'Probably sayin' I look like I'm about ta die,' he thought.  
  
The nurse suddenly came out with that fake smile plastered on her face. "Okay, hon. Let's just check you out, here..."  
  
Having memorized the diagram, Stephanie knew exactly what to do. "Okay, hon. I'm gonna need you to take off your shirt for me."  
  
"What?! Forget it, lady!"  
  
"Oh, come on, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm a nurse; believe me I've seen worse than someone's bare chest."  
  
(A/N: Get ready, Joey fans...) Joey sighed and took off his shirt, placing it beside him. "There. It's off. Happy?" (A/N: Yes!)  
  
"Oh, don't be so negative," the nurse scolded him. 'Perfectly formed,' she thought. 'His arms are just right as well... His legs... perfect! Everything seems to be in order.'  
  
"You done yet?" Joey asked impatiently.  
  
"You may put your shirt back on, now," the nurse replied. (A/N: Awww...)  
  
Joey put his shirt back on gratefully. "Can I go now?"  
  
"Hold on, hon. I just need to get a little blood for a blood test..." she took out a special kind of needle that Dr. Whitler had told her to use. It contained the tranquilizer, and once the tranquilizer was given, the needle appeared to have drawn blood. She took two seconds to give him the tranquilizer, and that was that.  
  
"You're all done," she said, shoving Joey out the door. "Now, get along! Next!"  
  
"Well, Joey; looks like you got the exam after all," Yugi said. "How was it?"  
  
Joey didn't answer. Something didn't feel right to him. But he just didn't know what.  
  
He was left with these feelings even as he was walking home that day. He almost didn't notice his sudden dizziness. But when he did notice, he became a little confused.  
  
"What the heck's goin' on?" He began to lose the feeling in his legs. He leaned against a fence for support, while trying to catch his breath. He was losing focus on the things around him...  
  
Then, he passed out.  
  
A man stepped forward and slung the unconscious teenager over his shoulder. He pulled out a communicator. "Subject down. We've got him, Dr."  
  
SIDE NOTE: O.O AAAAHHHG!!!! Poor Joey! Well, some of you guessed it. 'Cause I guess some of you know me well. ^_^'. Heh. Well, then. I don't know what else to say, except I hope you liked it, and please review! 


	3. Begin Experiment

Disclaimer: Yes, yes it's true that I'm terribly conceited and I think I'm the best. (Thank you, ma'am; and is also true that you own Yu- Gi- oh?) HA! What kind of weak- minded idiot told you that? (You did...) I wasn't conscious! And I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh!  
  
SIDE NOTE: Yeah... see; you don't want to ask about that. I'm not in my right mind today. No, sir or ma'am. Not me. But, I will say something sensible. I thank my reviewers, and on to the fic!  
  
"Dr. Whitler! We have our subject!" Janice came running in with a slip of paper.  
  
Dr. Whitler turned around and immediately snatched the paper, and his eyes began scanning the page. He smiled. "Excellent. Is he on the premises?"  
  
"Not yet, sir. But he will be shortly."  
  
"Out of my way!" Another woman with black hair pulled tightly into a bun stormed into the room. She shoved Janice out of the way and glared angrily at the Dr.  
  
"Why, Dr. Hies. I take it you've gotten the information on your next subject?" Dr. Whitler smiled at the young woman.  
  
"You can't be serious!" Dr. Hies shrieked.  
  
Janice stepped forward. "Should I remove her, sir?"  
  
"I can HEAR you, supermodel reject!" the other woman spat.  
  
Dr. Whitler chuckled. "No, that won't be necessary, Janice. You may leave us for a moment, if you please?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Janice nodded and left the room. Dr. Whitler sat in his desk chair and faced the young woman.  
  
"Now, Cindy..."  
  
"It's Dr. Hies, you psychopathic moron!" the woman hissed.  
  
"Very well, Dr. Hies," the older man sighed. "What seems to be the problem, then?"  
  
"The PROBLEM is; I'm not going to experiment on a 17- year- old boy! He's too young for this; he'll go insane!"  
  
"A minor casualty, Dr."  
  
"A MINOR CASUALTY?! We're talking about mental health here, you idiot! He's just a kid!"  
  
"A kid who isn't much younger than you are, Dr."  
  
"I wouldn't recommend putting myself up to this experiment either. Besides, genius; I'm the one experimenting! I'm not going to do it! I can find another job; my dad has his job, and my mom's looking for one in China. I'm not going to do this."  
  
"I see. So your dearest little sister can stand losing her very expensive medication? It's not very easy for us to afford, but we do it anyway... it would be much easier on us if we stopped buying it for you."  
  
The young Dr. glared at the old man. "Fine. FINE! But if he dies, YOU'RE TAKING THE BLAME!" She stormed out of the office.  
  
On her way out, Janice grabbed her arm. "Your subject is on the premises, Dr. Hies. I suggest you go see what you're working with."  
  
Dr. Hies jerked her arm from Janice's grip. "Don't touch me."  
  
"Third room on the left, hon," Janice called after the Dr.'s retreating back.  
  
Once out of sight, the young woman headed for her subject's room. It was in her nature to get the job done once it was started, but she hated doing it. Especially in this case...  
  
'I should probably get moving right away,' she thought. 'Dr. Whitler won't wait very long for me to start on this experiment. Poor kid...'  
  
She found the door. Nodding to the security guards at the front, she went inside.  
  
It was a considerably small room made entirely of metal. It had absolutely no windows, but it had small vents in which to let in air for people to breathe. And lying in the middle of that room, sound asleep, was the subject.  
  
"Oh..." Dr. Hies walked up to the sleeping boy with a look of sympathy. She shook her head. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."  
  
She sighed and walked out of the room. Then, turning to the guards, she said: "We're going to start his immunity now. Lower the temperature in that room by 2 degrees."  
  
"Yes ma'am," one guard pulled out a communicator. "Lower temperature in room 32. 2 degrees."  
  
Dr. Hies continued walking down the hall. A huge weight was settling in her stomach. "I just can't believe I'm doing this..."  
  
SIDE NOTE: Um... jumbled much? Heh... hope you didn't think it was too bad. But, it's something, I guess. I just hope you people like it. Please review! 


	4. Meet the Doctor

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh. I'd like to, though.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Hi, all! Wow... this one has been updated in a while... a lot of my fanfics haven't. Oh well. Here's a new chapter!  
  
Joey shivered slightly. It was a little cold... why was it so cold? He shivered again. Then he opened his eyes.  
  
'Ugh... where am I?' he had no idea what happened after he'd passed out. Apparently, he'd been kidnapped. 'I'll bet those nurses had somethin' ta do with this!' He sat up. His shirt had been removed. He was in a metal room filled with ice and dripping icicles. 'Is it really that cold in here?! Man... so why ain't I an ice cube?!'  
  
"The subject is awake," Dr. Hies, in the observation room, looked down upon her confused subject. "He doesn't seem to be affected by the cold in any way."  
  
"Shall we lower the temperature for the last time, miss?"  
  
The doctor shook her head. "No. Not yet. He's still shivering, even if only a little. We cannot have him shivering or a lower temperature may kill him."  
  
Another observer sighed. "We've been at this for HOURS! When are we gonna start the fusion?"  
  
"We can't start the fusion until he is completely immune to the cold!" Dr. Hies snapped. "If this one dies, the boss may use YOU as his next test subject."  
  
Her rude employee gulped. "Yes ma'am." He turned his attention back to the frozen room. "The subject has stopped shivering, Dr. Hies. Shall we lower the temperature one more time?"  
  
The doctor looked at her subject closely. "Yes. Complete his immunization."  
  
Inside the room, the temperature lowered once again. Joey shivered. "Man! And just when I'd gotten used to the weather in here! This stinks..." He shivered again. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"  
  
A few minutes later, Joey had gotten used to this temperature, too. In the observation room, Dr. Hies made notes on her test subject. She was looking them over just as Dr. Whitler entered. The young woman looked up.  
  
Dr. Whitler peered in the room at the young blonde who was now leaning against the frozen walls, yet somehow was unaffected. "You've completed his immunization already?"  
  
"Yes. I'm rather surprised myself. The others took at least a day and a half. This one took only 12 hours..."  
  
"He's a strong young lad."  
  
"Well, our nurses did say he had a high endurance level. I just didn't expect it to be that high..."  
  
"He'll be perfect for this experiment," the doctor's eyes flashed wickedly. "You are ready for the procedure, aren't you?"  
  
The young doctor sighed. "Yes, of course I am. But we need to give him a little time to rest. The subject needs to be relaxed if we are to do this properly. If he is too tense, his muscles will implode and probably cause internal bleeding. This is a delicate and difficult process. One wrong move, one little flaw could cause serious problems."  
  
"Understood, Dr. Hies. We will give him time to recuperate," with that, Dr. Whitler walked out. Dr. Hies sighed.  
  
"Let us slowly return the temperature to normal," she instructed. Her employee looked at her with a strangely dumb expression.  
  
"But, Dr., why can't we just return it to normal all the way? How come we have to start over?"  
  
"Are you mad?! He just spent twelve hours in a room that became increasingly colder! He's just gotten used to a temperature 20 degrees below zero! WITHOUT A SHIRT ON, I MIGHT ADD! If we increase the temperature all at once, HIS BODY WILL FRY!"  
  
"Yes ma'am!" there was a frantic clicking by the employee. "All set! Temperature has risen by 2 degrees!"  
  
"Good," Dr. Hies prepared to leave the room. "Please inform me when the temperature is back to normal."  
  
"Where will you be?"  
  
"I will be... in my office," she left.  
  
A few hours later, a knock came on the doctor's door. She scrambled upward, because she had been taking a nap under her desk (A/N: Yeah, my history teacher does that all the time.). "Yes? Who is it?"  
  
"Dr. Hies? The temperature in room 32 is completely back to normal."  
  
"Oh... thank you... you may leave, now," the doctor stood as she heard footsteps leaving her door. She took a deep breath. "Well... time to meet the subject..."  
  
Joey looked up as someone entered the room. He glared at the woman walking through the door. She frowned. Her subject clearly was in a bad mood, and she honestly couldn't blame him. He had just had to endure an immunization, and that was not easy, nor was it comfortable.  
  
"Who're you, and whaddyou want, lady?" he growled at her. Dr. Hies sighed.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry. My name is Dr. Cindy Hies. You may call me Cindy, if you like."  
  
"Whatever, Cindy," Joey spat out her name as though it were something terrible that he ate. "What do you want from me? What right do you have to kidnap me, huh?!"  
  
The doctor sighed again. "This... this was not my idea. My boss, Dr. Whitler ordered you to be taken here for an experiment." She bit her lip, wondering if she should tell him about the other subjects and the many deaths. She quickly decided against it, knowing that it would probably make matters worse. "You have just undergone an immunization. It took only twelve hours... that was... not expected for someone your age. Your endurance level is higher than we thought." She said this hopefully, trying to lift the boy's spirits. He glowered at her.  
  
"Whoopdeedo for you."  
  
The doctor winced. "Look... I know you may think I'm evil for going through with this, but I have no choice."  
  
"Sure. I've heard it all. My dad uses the same excuses every time he decides to beat my brains out."  
  
She gasped. "You poor boy! I'm so sorry!" She knelt down to his level. "You must forgive me, but I really have no choice. If I don't go through with this, my little sister will not be able to get the medication that she needs..."  
  
Joey looked at her with more shock than anger. "You have a little sister? What's wrong with her?"  
  
"I won't sweeten my words... her condition is bad. She has a rare kind of heart disease that we can keep under control with a special medication. However, it grows steadily worse, and she may need a heart transplant, but my family doesn't have that kind of money! We can hardly even afford our house. Dr. Whitler takes care of all our expenses, which he's threatened to take away if I don't do this. I just can't lose my sister! You must understand!"  
  
Joey was silent for a moment. Then he nodded with a grim expression. "I understand. I... I don't know what I'd do if I lost my sister."  
  
The young doctor smiled. "Thank you for understanding." She started walk out. "Oh... I almost forgot to ask your name."  
  
Joey gave her a sad smile. "Joey. Joey Wheeler."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Joey. And once again... thank you."  
  
Joey sighed as she left. 'Man... what in the world am I going through?'  
  
SIDE NOTE: Oh, I'll tell you soon enough. I'll tell all of you... as soon as I update a few chapters. Who knows how long it'll take to complete the fusion? Fusion of what? Guess! ^_^ Please review! So terribly sorry I did not update sooner! I'll try to do better! I promise! 


	5. Suspicions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But if I did, I might be able to fix some of the stuff the dubbers did wrong, like, oh, perhaps...fix Marik's freaking dagger!!! I mean, come on, they could at LEAST draw the rest of the stupid stick!! They don't have to have the freaking dagger, just don't make it look like you just erased something and left it at that!!! YEESH!!

_SIDE NOTE:_ Okay... I updated...can I have my cookie, now?? Cookie!! I wanna cookie!! Lol, I just updated for the cookie...j/k, not really. But cookies are nice. I updated cuz I know what write!! ..............okay, so maybe I just did it for the cookie. We all have our motives, right? Right???

Days went by. Joey had been missing for about a week, now, and no one knew what to do about it. All his friends were worried, and Tristan was especially suspicious of the nurses that had come to the school. After all, his friend HAD disappeared the day the nurses came.

"I don't trust those nurses," he said. "I'm thinking Joey was right...it's all phony."

"You think they had something to do with his disappearance?" asked Yugi.

"Of course they did! You saw that one make a dash for him the minute he left. They had it out for him." Téa looked at Tristan skeptically as he said this.

"Come, you guys," she rolled her eyes. "They're nurses! Why would they want to kidnap Joey? Why would anyone want to kidnap Joey, for that matter?"

"They must have been working for someone," Tristan decided. "Yeah, that's it! Somebody wanted Joey for some reason...or maybe..." Tristan stopped in his tracks, prepared to make a random outburst. "Maybe they're aliens from a far-off galaxy and they want to probe his brain!"

"Not only is that ridiculous, but no one would want to probe _Joey's_ brain," Téa put down Tristan's declaration with a pound to the head. "There's nothing in there, just like yours! I still think you're being stupid."

"Come on, guys, stop arguing," ever-sensitive Yugi tried to break up the tension. "Why don't we ask grandpa what he thinks happened?"

"But he wasn't there when the nurses—I mean _aliens_—" Téa mocked Tristan as she said this. "—came. How would he know whether or not they were behind Joey's disappearance?"

Yugi shrugged. "It never hurts to have another opinion. Let's just see what he thinks, okay?"

Tristan sighed. "Alright, I guess so. But I'm tellin' ya...those nurses aren't from this world!"

"Dream on, Tristan!" Téa rolled her eyes again as the three entered the game shop.

_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_

"Well, you two both bring up very good points," Solomon nodded to each of them, approving of the suggestions. "Except for the one about the aliens...but the nurses might have something to do with Joseph's disappearance; I agree on that. However, that also might not be the case. It's hard to say."

"So...what do you think, Grandpa?" Yugi asked the old man, watching his face attentively.

"If you want my opinion, I just think you're overreacting, Tristan," replied Solomon. "It's natural to panic and jump to conclusions when a friend's gone missing, but I highly doubt a couple of old nurses could have anything to do with it."

"But he still might have been kidnapped!" Tristan insisted. Solomon nodded.

"And if he has been kidnapped, we can hope that he has escaped and is safe. He'll turn up. The cops are still on the lookout, you know."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Yugi said brightly. "Your opinion means a lot."

The old man smiled. "Any time, Yugi."

The friends exited the game shop, mostly satisfied with the old man's answer. Tristan kicked a pebble on the sidewalk, his face drawn up in a scowl. _He_ wasn't at all satisfied with Solomon's word. He still had a sneaking suspicion that the nurses were involved (A/N: Boy, when you're right, you're right!). Téa put a hand on his shoulder.

"Aw, cheer up, Tristan!" she said cheerfully. "Joey'll turn up, and he'll be just fine. You'll see."

"I know you guys..." he sighed. "I know."

_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_

Dr. Hies opened her office door. Dr. Whitler faced her, looking at her expectantly. "Well, Dr.? Is the subject ready for the fusion or not?"

"He's ready, sir," the woman nodded. "But..." She bit her lip, pausing. "I...I don't know if I can do it, sir."

The older man raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that you want your little sister to die, Dr. Hies? I do hope you've not grown cold towards your own family."

"Oh, Dr. Whitler...can't we please find someone else?"

"Only if this one dies."

"What are you implying, Dr.; you think I want him to _die_? That's the last thing I want!" The young woman thrust her finger at the door. "That poor boy has been through enough horror in his life; he doesn't need any more of it! I won't do it, you sick old man, I _can't_ do it!"

"You will, or you suffer the loss of this job, your house, and your sister's life!" The man grabbed her throat as he roared, shaking her body as if she were a doll. The woman clutched at his hand and her throat, trying to free herself. "So do it, woman! I don't care about your stupid doubts and insecurities! I have waited to long to finish this project, and you are _not_ going to screw it up!" He released her and left. The woman fell on floor, coughing and gasping as she regained her breath.

_I suppose..._ she thought sadly. _I have no choice..._

_SIDE NOTE:_ Is the plot moving too fast for you? If it is, I apologize...I tend to speed things up because of impatience. Heh. Well...if you liked it, plz review, and if you didn't, don't leave flames, cuz then the fic will be on hold for a veeeeeeerrrrrryyyy long time, and ppl who like my stories will yell at you for the delay cuz I warned you. Um...yeah. Tootles.


	6. Package for Mister Kaiba

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. That is all.

_SIDE NOTE:_ Well, hasn't been long since I updated...and it's not even 1am! How odd...well, I thank my reviewers, and read on!

She'd been planning all night. She'd been planning a way to get out of doing the fusion. She'd been planning so long she had a headache, but now she had an idea. So, at five-o-clock in the morning, Dr. Hies tiptoed to the DNA storage room.

_Come on...lizard, lizard...where are the lizards? Ah! There they are..._ She paused as she heard a noise. The guards were coming to their posts. She bit her lip and returned to the files. _Which lizard are we using? Certainly not a gecko...komodo? No...that's not it..._ She heard voices coming close to her location. Her heart began to race. _I'll just take them all...every last lizard we've got. We won't be able to do the fusion without it._ She gathered up the files, hastily shoved them in her bag, and fast-walked out the door. She only just barely missed the guard as she locked the door and ran around the corner. She'd done her job.

_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_

"Come in," Dr. Whitler turned in his chair when the door opened. Janice entered with her usual clipboard and serious expression. "Is there a problem, Janice?"

"The DNA we need for the fusion is missing, sir," replied the woman. "Along with every other lizard file we've got."

Dr. Whitler sighed and rubbed his forehead. _Oh, Dr. Hies...I told you not screw anything up..._ "Then we'll find more. Postpone the fusion. And please locate Dr. Hies."

Janice bowed. "Right away, sir." She exited the room. Soon after Dr. Hies herself entered.

"I told you not to mess things up, Cindy, and you defied me," Whitler turned a narrow look on the woman. "Why?"

"Sir, I only came to tell you that the DNA we need is missing," the woman told him, blinking in confusion.

"Don't play ignorant with me, Cindy," the older man rose up out of his chair. "I _know_ you stole the DNA."

Dr. Hies narrowed her eyes. "I've told you before that I did not want to do this, but I have not stolen the DNA. I see it as a rather good omen, however; one that I think you should take into consideration."

The man eyed her suspiciously. "I'll keep that in mind, my dear. Return to our subject. Keep an eye on him. You may go."

Dr. Hies bowed. "Of course, sir." She smirked as she left the room _That old fool has no idea what I've done...I just hope I sent the DNA to the right place._

_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_

"There is a package for you, Mister Kaiba," the CEO's secretary entered carrying a package in her hands.

Seto Kaiba looked away from his computer screen for just a moment to look at the package. "Whoever sent it, send it back to them. I didn't order anything." He returned to his work.

"Perhaps it's from a relative?"

"I have no relatives, aside from Mokuba, and I find it highly unlikely that he would send me something from school."

"Well...I don't know about getting rid of it, Mister Kaiba," his secretary bit her lip nervously. "The note on it says it's very important..."

Kaiba sighed in frustration. "Fine, leave it here. I'll take a look."

"Certainly, Mister Kaiba," the woman bowed, placing the package on his desk and leaving the office. Kaiba shoved away from his computer and took the package. Carefully he opened it.

_What is this?_ He pulled out several small plastic-wrapped cases. Whoever had sent this wanted to make sure it was completely safe. The cases were also labeled specifically by a type of animal. One of them was labeled _"Gecko_ and another was labeled _"Komodo Dragon"_. _They're...cases of lizard DNA. Who would send me something like this?_ A piece of paper floated out of the package. He picked it up and read it aloud to himself. "Dear Mister Kaiba. I can't tell you who I am, but please know that these cases are very important and must be kept under...oh, blah, blah, blah." Kaiba tossed the note in the wastebasket next to his desk. "What a load of rubbish."

He tried to return to his work. But he kept glancing over at the note he'd tossed in the wastebasket. Soon he found himself neglecting his work and just staring it at. He grew frustrated.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" He picked up the package and pressed one of the lines on his phone. "Charline, please have the package placed in the high-security vault."

"Right away, Mister Kaiba."

The CEO held his hand in his hand. _I really hate this..._

_SIDE NOTE:_ Um...voila? Well, I wanted Kaiba to be involved in this whole conflict, so...eh. Here you go. I'll let you know what's happening to Joey as soon as I can and want to. Well, plz review!!


	7. Inside Operation

**Disclaimer and notes: Hi all! I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but if I did, I WOULDN'T HAVE HANDED IT OVER TO 4KIDS! Please enjoy this chapter. **

When the door to what Joey now referred to as his cell, he was certain that he was going to be strapped to a metal table and attached to wires like in science fiction movies. But he was greeted by Dr. Hies with a sparkling grin. She was walking very fast and seemed excited.

"Good news. We're not going to experiment on you after all!" she cried. Joey's eyes widened and he stood up.

"Really? I can get outta here now?"

"Well…no," the woman admitted. "But I'm working on that. You'll be out soon, I promise."

Joey sighed and crossed his arms over his (A/N: drool…) bare chest. "Lemme guess…you did something to have the whole thing called off."

"All the DNA we needed to use is safely packed away where no one can find it," Dr. Hies said confidently, but in a low tone. She didn't want to risk anyone hearing her.

"DNA?" Joey said incredulously. "What kind of experiment were you guys planning to do on me?"

"That's not important anymore, since it's not going to happen," replied the Dr. "You don't need to worry about it."

"But now I'm curious…what is everyone in this crazy place up to?" Joey asked. Dr. Hies bit her lip.

"Listen…when I get you out of here, I'll tell you everything, okay?" she said hopefully. Joey didn't look like he was buying it for a minute, but he finally sighed and dropped his arms.

"Okay, then. But I wanna get outta here soon."

"Don't worry," Dr. Hies said reassuringly. "You will." She left him alone, sighing in relief. _I don't want to tell him anything until he's really out of danger…if by some chance Whitler finds some new DNA, I don't want him to have to know…_

She closed the door in time, as dear old Janice came running up. She looked at Dr. Hies very suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

"Checking on the subject," Dr. Hies replied. "What's going on?"

Janice's suspicions didn't leave, but she put it aside. "Dr. Whitler believes he can get more DNA. I just wanted to let you know…so you wouldn't get your hopes up."

"What! No!" Cindy cried. "That…that can't be right! I won't stand for it!"

"Hey, take your complaints to Whitler," Janice told her with a grin. "Personally, I think it's a good thing that your little scheme didn't work. I _know_ you did something with the other samples."

"You have no proof," Dr. Hies said in a dangerous tone, brushing past the other woman and headed straight for Dr. Whitler's office. As usual, her anger brought her to burst right through the door without knocking. Dr. Whitler looked up from his desk rather calmly, evidently having expected her. He grinned at the expression on her face.

"Ah, I see Janice has told you the good news," he said brightly.

"Call off the order!" Cindy shouted, slamming her palms on to the man's desk. "Send those samples _back_!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Dr. Whitler told her, brightly still. "I want this experiment to run well, and not even your little shenanigans (A/N: Huzzah! I spelled that word right the FIRST TIME!) will stop me. I'm not sure where you hid those other samples, but I'll let you know, by pulling that little stunt, you were _extremely_ close to losing everything you had. Do I make myself clear?"

The young scientist glowered and clenched her fists upon the desk, scraping the wood with her nails. "I won't let this happen. Not to this boy…I won't do it!"

"We have already had this discussion, Dr.," the man told her through clenched teeth. "And I am _losing_ my _patience_. If you do not do this, that little second chance I gave you will have been _wasted_! Do _not_ bother me with this again! _Again_, Dr Hies, do I _make_ myself _clear_?"

The glare did not fade. But the woman removed her tightly clenched fists from the desk and with a curled lip she answered, "Crystal."

She left the office at a quick pace. She passed by Janice in the hall, who gave her a smirk, but it was ignored. Dr. Hies swiftly entered her office, slamming and locking the door behind her. Then she went to her desk and furiously began to dial a number on the phone. A pause.

"Hello? May I speak to Seto Kaiba? I need to inform him about a secret operation going on inside his company…"

**Dun-dun-duuuuuuunnnnnnn! Did you see that one coming? Didja? DIDJA? _DIDJA!_ Neither did I. I just thought it up this morning. Heh. Well, I really hoped you liked this chapter. Please review! **


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